Brake mechanism



G. A. GREEN BRAKE MECHANlSM Filed March 16, 1922 4 Sheets-Sheet 1.

A TORNEY- Dec. 28,1926. 1,612,432

G. A. GREEN BRAKE MECHANISM Filed March 16, 1922 4 Shets-Sheet 2 /gN V ENTOR 4 6 am Dec. 28, 1926. 7 1,612,432

G. A. GREEN v BRAKE MECHANISM Filed March 16 1922 4 Shets-Sheet 3 I Dec. 28, 1926.

G; A. GREEN BRAKE MECHANISM Filed March 16, 1322 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 UNITED STATES PATENT oFFics.

GEORGE A. GREEN, or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

BRAKE MECHANISM.

Application filed March 16, 1922. Serial No. 544,182.

This invention relates to a brake mechanism designed more particularly for vehicles, and has referenc of brake mec the braking action is to the type motor e more especially hanism in which applied to the propeller shaft; and the invention consists in an 1mproved arrangement an parts d construction of the wherein the maximum area of brake drum surface will be provided on the shaft,

and the brake shoes W operated applied evenly and u jurious stresses on the shaft brake drums and moved or applied as a. ing the propeller whe ill be so supported and that the braking pressure will be niformly without inrein the operating parts may be reunit without disturbshaft; wherein the brake drums will not be affected by any misalignment or deflection of the and wherein the controlled so as maximum efficiency in t mechanism.

The improved parts may propeller shaft; be adjusted and to maintain a condition of he operation of the arrangement and construccribe-d in the specification to follow and the novel features thereof ed claims.

In the accomp anying drawings will be set forth in the append- Fi 1 is a side elevation of my improved brake mechanism with the chassis frame on one side omitted.

plan view of the Fig. 3 is a top same. plan view,

duced scale, showing the support aff both sides by the Fig. 4 a transverse sec chassis frame.

on a slightly reorded at tional elevation on the line 4% of Fig. 3 looking to the left lig. of one of the bra Fig. i; is an elevation of one o driiii'is removed.

ke shoe Referring to the drawings: My iii'iproved brake mechanism comprises two brake drums 1, 1 w

mounted side by a propeller shaft present instance transmission mec gear mechanism. ated respectively 5 is a fragmentary view in elevation perating yolres.

f the brake hich are fixedly side in spaced relations on 2 of a motor vehicle,

between the hanism and the differential at a point The two drums in the are situon opposite sides of a trans verse frame member 3 fixed at its en ds to the ings 5, 5'consisting each of an outer race ring and an inner race ring and interposed bearing balls, the outer rings being fixed within'a. circular hollow shell 6 on the transverse frame member and extending in opposite directions axial'ly thereof, and the inner casing rings being fixed to the propeller shaft. The portion of the propeller shaft on which the two brake drums are mounted is a comparatively short section of the shaft and is connected with the main portions 2 and 2" of the shaft respectively by two flexible couplings, a coupling 2 connecting one end of the shaft section with the portion 2 of the propeller shaft, and a coupling 2 connecting the opposite end of the section with the portion 2 of the propeller shaft. These couplings are of a form which will enable the shaft section 2 to be readily disconnected from the other portions of the propeller shaft, and in the present instance each coupling comprises two spiders 2 and 2 fixed 'espectively to the adjacent ends of the propeller shaft sections, an intermediate flexible disc 2 and removable fastening bolts 2* passing through the spiders and disc. As a result of this connection, the-section 2 of the propeller shaft on which the brake drums are mounted, is isolated from the main portions of the shaft and is not affected by any deflections or misalignment of the shaft.

The said transverse frame member consists in the present instance of a'vertical web portion 3 formed on its upper and lower edges with horizontal flanges 3 and 3 The upper flange is provided with transverse horizontal bosses 3 and 3 located at opposite sides of the propeller shaft, and the lower flange is continuous from one end of the frame member to the other and curved downwardly at its central portion below the shaft as best shown in Fig. l. The hollow circular shell 6 projects outwardly from the central portion of the web and forms an annular chamber A surrounding the shaft be tween the two ball bearin s the nu 3086 of and two similar members in the form of brake shoes 8, 8 are arranged at the opposite side of the drums to act at that side, thus providing two pairs of brake shoes, one pair on each side of the brake drums.

The brake shoes o1 each pair are pivotally supported independently of each other midway between their ends by a brake shoe operating memoer in the form of a yoke 9 for the brake shoes 7, 7 and a yoke 10 for the brake shoes 8, 8. These yokes are pivoted at their upper ends to the transverse frame member 3 respectively on opposite sides of the brake drums, and they are connected together at their lower ends by suitable means for simultaneous movement to and trom each other in applying and releasing the braking pressure, as will be more fully described hereinafter.

The yoke 9 is of general U form, comprising two vertical parallel side limbs 9 and a lower horizontal end limb 9". The upper ends of the side limbs are formed with aligned holes which loosely surround the ends of a horizontal pivot pin 11 supported by and projecting from the horizontal boss 3 on the transverse frame member, whereby the yoke is pivotally suspended at its upper end from the frame member so that it may swing back and forth to operate the brake shoes. A horizontal pivot stud 13 extends through the two side limbs of the yoke, and the two brake shoes 7 are pivotally connected with this pin side by side by means of two pairs of lugs 14, 1 1, one pair on each brake shoe projecting outwardly from the shoe about midway of its length. The lugs of a pair are termed with aligned holes loosely surrounding the pin, with the lugs of one pair extending on opposite sides of one of the side limbs of the yoke, and with the lugs of the other pair extending on opposite sides of the other limb or the yoke as best shown in Fig. 2.

The yoke 10 is similarly formed with two parallel side limbs 10 and a lower horizontal end limb 10 and the yoke is pivotally suspended at its upper end from a horizontal pivot pin 11 sustained by the boss 3 on the transverse frame member. The brake shoes 8, 8 are pivotally connected with the yoke by means of two pairs of lugs 16, 16 projecting outwardly from the rear sides of the brake shoes, and these lugs loosely surround a pivot stud 17 extending through the side limbs of the yoke, with the lugs of the two pairs bearing respectively on opposite sides of said side limbs.

The connection ot the lower ends of the yokes to cause them to move in unison as above mentioned, is in the present instance e'llected by means of a horizontal transverse connecting rod 18, see Fig. 1, which rod extends at its middle portion loosely through a fixed lug 19 depending from the center of the transver e frame member. The lower end limb 10 of the yoke 10 is recessed at its center to receive a sleeve 21 which is mounted loosely on a pin 22 supported at its ends in the end portions of the limb, which sleeve is termed on its oppositesides with bosses 21 and 21 Aligning holes are formed in the sleeve bosses and pin, and through these holes, the right hand end of the rod 18 as shown in Fig. 1 extends loosely, 2 id is threaded on its outer end to receivea t mmb nut which bears against a collar 20 loosely surrounding the rod and bearing in turn against the outer boss 21 with which it is interlocked to prevent the collar from turning. A spiral spring surrounds the rod 15-5 and bears at its outer end against the boss 21" and at its inner end against the tired lug 19. At its oppositeend the rod extends loosely through the lower end limb or the yohe 9, and a spiral spring encircles the rod and bears at its outer end against the it nor side of the limb, and at its inner end against an adjustable stop in the form of a two-part nut 25 screwed on the rod and adapted to abut against the fixed lug 19. The end ot the rod at the outer side of the yoke 9 is pivoted to the lower end or" one arm 26 of an operating elbow lever 27, which elbow lever is mounted to rock on a horizontal transverse pin 28 supported by the side limbs of the yoke. The other arm 29 of the elbow lever has piv ted to it on an axis parallel with that of the elbow lever, the lower end of a link 30 which extends upwardly through a vertical opening 31 in the transverse frame member, to the upper side oi the same. This opening is formed midway between the tront and rear of the memher, at which point the web 3 is ofiset and extends in opposite directions around the opening as shown in Fig. 2 so as to preserve the continuity of the web and the strength of the member. At its upper end the link is forked to embrace the tree end of an arm 32 to which it is pivoted on an axis extending at right angles to the pivotal axis of the lower end oi the link. The arm is fixed at its opposite end to one end of a rock sha lt mounted in bearings 34: on a bracket 3% projecting rearwardly from the side or the frame member 8. The opposite end of the rock shait has fixed to it an operating arm 35 which extends downwart ly and is adapted to have connected with it a rod 35 or other connection which may be extended within reach of the operator. The manner of connecting the link 30 at its ends respectively to the arm 29 of the elbow lever and to the arm 82 on the rock shaft 38, and the relation of the two pivotal axes of these connections is such that the link 30 will be confined to movement in an endwise direction except as to the natural inherent resiliency of the parts which when subjected to strain might allow of a slight movement in direclid tions'other than endwise. This characteristic of the connection of the link brings about a functional operation of the parts in applying the braking pressure as will be presently described.

Due to the mounting of the brake drums on the short section 2 of the propeller shaft, and due to the support of the section 2 and the brake shoes and operating yokes by the transverse frame member as above described, the entire brake mechanism may be removed as a unit with the transverse frame member for inspection or repairs, by first disconnecting the flexible couplings and the operating rod 35, and then disconnecting the tansverse member from the side bars 4 of the chassis frame. On reference to Figs. 1 and 3 it will be seen that the bars 4t of the chassis frame converge slightly toward the front and are in the form of channel bars with the channels facing inwardly. To afford a bearing support by the channel bars for the parallel ends of the transverse member, wedge shaped filler blocks 4a"-4t are seated in the channels, and the ends of the transverse member are seated against the inner faces of the blocks, and the parts firmly but detachably connected together by means of connecting bolts l i extending through end flanges on the transverse member and through the blocks and vertical web portions of the frame members l. As a result of this method of connecting the transverse member to the chassis frame, the former, together with the connected brake mechanism, may be removed as a unit after first removing the fastening bolts, by lifting the parts vertically; and they may in a: similar manner be set in place between the chassis frame bars.

The operation of the parts is as follows:

Normally the brake shoe operating yokes and connected parts are in the positions shown in Fig. 1, with the brake shoes out of contact with the brake drums, and with the nut abutting against fixed lug 19. In applying the braking pressure, the operating arm is shifted to pull link 30 upwardly, which action, due to the fact that the link is restrained against movement in other directions, will act with a toggle effect on the yoke 9 through the medium of the arm 29 of the elbow lever, and will force the yoke 9 towards the drums. At the same time the rocking action of the elbow lever relative to the yoke will pull rod 18 to the left, Fig. 1, and will shift nut 25 out of engagement with fixed lug 19, and by this action yoke 10 will be drawn in towards the brake drums. The movement of the yokes in this manner towards each other effects a corresponding movement of the connected brake shoes and forces them into engagement with the opposite sides of the brake drums and thereby appli s a balanced braking pressure. In this action of the parts, the springs 23 and 24 will be compressed respectively between the inner sides of the yokes and the opposite sides respectively of the fixed lug 19 and the nut 25, and on the release of the operating connections by the operator, the springs in expanding will move the yokes outwardly and away from each other and will consequently similarly move the connected brake shoes and thereby disengage them from the brake drums, and will again seat nut 25 against fixed lugs 19.

By forming the yokes each with the two side limbs pivotally supporting the brake shoes, the shoes are given some degree of independent resilient support, due to the inherent elasticity or spring possessed by the limbs independently of each other. Consequently the yokes will act on the brake shoes with a certain amount of flexibility, and will cause the shoes to exert a balanced and even pressure on the drums.

The purpose of the thumb nut 20 and nut 25 is to effect the adjustments of the brake shoes relative to the drums so that the proper spacing of the brake shoes from the drums may be effected and made equal at both sides. If for instance the brake shoes 7 are spaced a greater distance from the drums than are the brake shoes 8, the nut 25 is screwed to the left (Fig. 1) on the rod 18, and the rod will be shifted to the right by the action of spring 24 in again seating the nut againstlug 19, and in this action yoke 9 will be moved to the right and will thereby carry brake shoes 7 closer to the drums. The movement of the rod 18 to the right will at the same time carry yoke 10 and the connected brake shoes 8 to the right and will widen the space between the shoes and drums. In this way the decrease of the greater spacing at one side and the increase of the lesser spacing on the other side will reach a neutral point where the spacing on both sides will be equal. Or on the other hand if the spacing of shoes 7 is less than that of shoes 8, nut 25 is screwed to the right on the rod to increase the spacing of shoes 7 and decrease that of shoes 8. The thumb nut 20 affords a means for adjusting the spacing of shoes 8 independently of that of shoes 7, for with the latter at a given definite position, as determined by the position of nut 25 on the rod as it abuts against lug 19, the brake shoes 8 can be adjusted to or from the drums by screwing up or unscrewing nut 20, which action will not affect the position of the rod and consequently that of the brake shoes 7. By the employment of this mechanism therefore, the spacing of the two sets of brake shoes from the drums may be accurately adjusted and caused under all conditions to be equal at the opposite sides of the drums, so as to apply a balanced braking pressure thereto.

The annular chamber A before alluded to within the hollow shell 6, serves as a lubricant receptacle for the bearings, and a gravitating floating member in the form of a ring 86 surrounds the shaft within the chamber and acts in the rotation of the shaft to efi'ectively distribute the lubricant to the bearings.

The brake drums are termed on the'" interior with radial wings or vanes 37 which act, in the rotation of the drums, to circu-- late the air through them and thereby prevent the bearings fron'i becoming overheated, and the lubricant trom being burned out.

in the foregoing description and accompanying drawings 1. have set forth my in vention in the particular term and detailed construction which it prefer to adopt, but it will be manifest that these details may be variously changed and modified without departing from the spirit or" the invention; and further it will be understood that the invention is not limited to any particular term or construction of the parts except in so tar as such limitations are specified in the claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. In a brake mechanism, the combination 01 a fixed supporting member provided with a hollow open ended shell, a rotatable shat-t extending through said shell and spaced therefrom to form a lubricant holding chamber surrounding the shaft, bearings between the shell and shaft at opposite ends of the chamber, a brake drum fixed to the shaft, brake shoes movably sustained by the supporting member, and means for o ierating the brake shoes to act on the brake drum.

2. In a brake mechanism, the con'ibination of a fixed supporting member provided with a hollow shell, a rotatable shait extending through the shell and spaced therefrom to form a lubricant holding chamber surrounding the shaft, bearings between the shell and shaft at opposite ends of the chan'iber, a lubricant distributing member within the chamber sustained by the shaft, a brake drum fixed to the siait, brake sho s movably sustained by the su p rting member, and means tor operating the brake shoes to act on the drum.

3. In combination with a vehicle "frame, a transverse frame member sustained thereby and adapted to support a brake mechanism having a brake drum shaft, brake shoe operating members, and an operating link, said transverse frame member being former with a horizontal transverse hollow boss to afford a bearing for the shaft, and being formed with two transverse bosses above said l'iollow boss to support the brake shoe operating members, and being formed turther with a vertical opening extending through to receive the operating link.

at. in a brake mechanism, the combination of a fixed supporting member, a rotary brake drum, brake shoe operating members pivotally mounted on salt supporting member at opposite sides of the brake drum, brake shoes carried by the respective operating members, a rod engaged with one of the operating members and extending loosely through the other, an abutmenton the supporting member, a nut screwed on th rod and engaging the abutn'ient at one side or the latter, an enpansion spring on the rod between the nut and the operating member at that side, a second eapansion sp '5 on the rod engagother side oi tie aoutment and the operating member at that side, and means for operating toe rod to apply and release the brakes.

5. In a brake mechanism, the combination of a tired supporting member, a rotary brane drum, brake shoe operating members pivotally mounted on said supportingmember at opposite sides of the brake drum, brai-ze shoes carried by the respective operating members, a rod aujustably en aged with one of the operating members and extending loosely through the other, an abutment on the supporting member, a nut screwed on the rod and engaging the abutment at one side of the latter, an rod between the nut and t e operating mem her at that side, a second erpansion spring on the rod or ging the other side of the abutment and the operating member at that side, and means for operating the rod to apply and release the brakes.

6. In a brake mechanism, the combination of a fined supporting member provided with an abutment, a rotary brake drum, brake shoe operating members pivotally mounted on the supporting member at opposite sides of thebrake drum, brake shoes carried by the respective operating members, a rod adjustably engaged 1th one of the operating members and extending loosely through the abutment and through ti o other operating member, an elbow lever pivoted to the last mentioned operating member and having one of its arms pivoted to the rod, a nut screwed on the rod and ngaging the abutment at one side of the latter, an expansion spring on the rod between the nut ant the operating member at that side, a second expansion spring on the rod the other side of the abutment and the operating member at that side, and means for rocking the elbow ever to operate the brakes.

In testimony whereof, I have affixed my signature hereto.

GEORGE A. GREEK N.

ezpansion spring on the 

